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Topic: Bobcat problem (Read 10012 times)

Does anyone have any recommendations for dealing with bobcats? i just discovered my whole cage of guinea keets torn apart this morning and this after finding my goose (well her wing) last week :'(. We have spotted the bobcat prowling around during the day in the neighborhood and i am heartbroken over the loss of my animals and worried about my toddler who has grown up a country boy and enjoys roaming with his older sibs around our acreage. My worry is that this animal seems very hungry and motivated to rip through wire and spend a good amount of time snagging birds through cages.Any words of advice on trapping or.......

I had a fox this Spring that was getting my guineas and chickens as they free ranged during the day. I ended up building a trap, but either someone else got him first or he moved onto easier hunting. Electric fence wasn't an option because I want my guineas to free range and eat the bugs. My chickens I left penned up after we lost a few and had a rooster get pretty badly beat up. He recovered, but it took a while. The guineas stood a better chance because they would fly up into the trees, but he was still able to get a couple.

Here is the trap I built, but ended up only catching a mom with two young coons.

I made it 2'x2'x5' so I could catch the bigger animals without issues.

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"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison

it's not hungry. your critters were just easier than hunting down food. bobcats are not usually something to worry about as far as kids are concerned. they aren't very big and go after smaller prey. i have never even heard of a bobcat attacking people. mountain lions are another story.

it's pretty tough to get rid of them once they find an easy place to eat. call a pro to trap it out, or shoot it. don't get new food sources until you are sure it's gone.

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.....The greatest changes occur in their country without their cooperation. They are not even aware of precisely what has taken place. They suspect it; they have heard of the event by chance. More than that, they are unconcerned with the fortunes of their village, the safety of their streets, the fate of their church and its vestry. They think that such things have nothing to do with them, that they belong to a powerful stranger called the government. They enjoy these goods as tenants, without a sense of ownership, and never give a thought to how they might be improved.....

yeah we have mountain lions now also. The big vineyard development up country has chased these animals down here into the more populated valleys and i have not had to deal with this situation before. I have free range chickens and guineas and account a certain amount of loss into my hatching numbers the past couple of years. I have been willing to accept this slight loss but it is growing and coming closer to the house and my livelihood depends on my heritage birds.Robo-nice cage. My husband is going to build one at work for me. So do you string up some raw meat inside? I also have a sneeking suspicion that this may be a mom living with her kits in my forest. Any way to track this or know for sure?I don't have the money for paying someone to do this for me and we kind of do things on our own around here unless way out of our league. I feel like this is one thing i should know how to deal with.

i'd shoot it. if you trap it, what will you do with it? unless you trap it and shoot it. good guess that it's a mom. they take kill to babies to give them a taste and then start teaching them to hunt on easy stuff if they can find it. animals are great machines. they do not put out more energy than they must. they'll always take easy dinner.

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.....The greatest changes occur in their country without their cooperation. They are not even aware of precisely what has taken place. They suspect it; they have heard of the event by chance. More than that, they are unconcerned with the fortunes of their village, the safety of their streets, the fate of their church and its vestry. They think that such things have nothing to do with them, that they belong to a powerful stranger called the government. They enjoy these goods as tenants, without a sense of ownership, and never give a thought to how they might be improved.....

I'll trap and shoot. People are raising a fuss around here over doing that, it's crazy. A neighbor of mine had protesters outside her drive after having to shoot a mountain lion! There is always this irrational element here-good old cali.

Here, you'd only need a fur bearer's permit to legally trap it or shoot it either one. Then you can skin it and have the hide tanned. They are beautiful fur. I've never bothered them but then they've never bothered me, that I know of. I blame the chickens disappearing on the coyotes, foxes and skunks depending on the signs.

I believe when one is working so hard to raise their own food, sell the food, or whatever, they have the right to protect their stock. Animal activists.....hmmm...what would they do if something were eating their livelihood? We have a coyote/s that has been doing some damage around our farm. I have seen it come out in broad daylight and grab a chicken. Before I had time to sic the dogs on it, it was gone. The dogs went on a chase, but this dude was long gone with the stupid chicken that didn't listen to the rooster calling his warning to his harem. All the other hens went running to safety near their chickenyard, but nope, not her. Maybe she was the rebellious type :evil:. I know about those ways. So we just get tougher and tougher and build better fences. But then....there is a point where you have to stop. Our neighbour caught the coyote three days ago in broad daylight trying to dig underneath the underground fencing in her chickencoop. She was fit to be tied. I don't doubt that she is going to take things into her own hands. She phoned to warn us of her observation and to keep our dogs away from the outback for a few days. We are willingly complying.

We do not have a gun on our property. As foster parents that is 100% not allowed, this is a safety issue and one of the rules of being a foster parent.

If we had a gun.....well, that would be another story. I am a pretty good pitch with rocks, maybe I would be good with other types of ain. Anyways no qualms about protecting my livestock. Have a wonderful day, keep the vermin from eating your stocks. I certainly don't know what could be done with a coyote that was caught in a pen. Taken somewhere else to eat someone else's criters maybe :) Cindi

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There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold. The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold. The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee. Robert Service

Electric fence keeps all sorts of wild critters where they are supposed to be... in the woods and not in your coop.

Ann and I have electric fence around our hives in Maine. We only go up there every other weekend and have had at least two attempted break-ins by skunks in the past month. One of the skunks must of tried getting into the enclosure between electric pulses because it took enough current to end its life. The one we noticed this past weekend tried to dig under the fabric but didn't get too far before it met Mr. Electricity. :-D

There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold. The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold. The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee. Robert Service

Are you SURE the cat is to blame? A first step in Animal Damage Control is to identify the problem animal. Just seeing one doesn't mean it did the deed. Call a County Agent or better someone from USDA to inspect the site and confirm the problem. Cats come to cages readily and no meat is needed, just a commercial lure from any trapper supply store, and a few feathers. Check with the F&W people about relocation as some states have strict laws on how and where. And this time of year kits should not be a problem.

I had a bobcat take out my flock last night. It ran when it saw me coming. I went back up to the house to get the proper "tool" to deal with the problem, but it hasn't been back yet. Not sure if I'll be able to dispatch it when/if it comes back. Racoons are one thing. But I couldn't help but notice how beautiful it was even as it was snacking on one of my hens.